Belt employing cuff links or similar fastening means



Z. LOSTON A ril 15, 1969 BELT EMPLOYING CUFF LINKS OR SIMILAR FASTENING MEANS Filed March 8, 1966 Jan swag,

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U 546 firm/4w United States Patent 3,438,063 BELT EMPLOYING CUFF LINKS 0R SIMILAR FASTENING MEANS Zallo Loston, 113 S. Arnaz Drive, Beverly Hills, Calif. 90211 Filed Mar. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 532,619 Int. Cl. A41f 9/00; A44b 11/25, 13/00 U.S. Cl. 2-322 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a belt for apparel and, in particular, to a belt wherein at end link or similar fastening means performs the function of the usual buckle.

In the prior art it is conventional to form a belt from a belt member and a buckle which cooperates with a plurality of holes on one end of the belt. This arrangement is inflexible in that each belt usually has a single buckle associated therewith, thus fixing the appearance of the belt. In order to vary the appearance of ones belt, the individual is required to purchase a number of different belts, In addition, it is not uncommon for the buckles to scratch, deteriorate or otherwise wear requiring that the entire belt be discarded. Finally, such a buckle-belt member arrangement is cumbersome in appearance and often exposes a plurality of distorted holes detracting from the appearance of the belt. In order to improve upon the conventional belt, there have been attempts to devise belts with replaceable buckles, such as shown in US. Patent No. 2,704,871 issued to F. M. Bender et al. on Mar. 29, 1955. This arrangement is of some value in improving the flexibility of a particular belt but it requires a supply of relatively expensive buckle members which can only be employed as buckles and which are limited in their design flexibility. In addition, such replaceable buckles are usually cumbersome in appearance and difficult to install and change.

This invention solves the above-mentioned prior art problems and provides a belt wherein the fastening means may readily be changed to suit the individuals wardrobe and taste. The change of the belts appearance by the addition of different fastening means is accomplished easily and inexpensively and in a manner that no unsightly holes are exposed. The resulting appearance is uncluttered and consistent with modern tastes. Briefly, the structure that accomplishes these advantages are as follows: a belt for apparel comprising an elongated belt member having ends in overlapping relationship with at least one hole located in each of said ends in an aligned relationship; and, a separate fastening means located in said aligned holes for securing said belt ends in a substantially fixed position with respect to one another whereby a belt is formed.

The above advantages will be completely understood with reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the belt including the belt member and fastening means;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ends of the belt showing the manner in which the holes in the ends of the belt and the fastening means are aligned;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional and front views showing the manner in which the fastening means is secured in the belt member; and,

FIG. 5 is an alternate embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the belt 10 comprises a belt member 12 and fastening means 42. The belt member 12 has a pair of ends 14 and 16 which are in overlapping relationship with end 16 also being in underlying relationship with respect to end 14. Each of the ends 14 and 16 has at least one hole therein and preferably both ends have a plurality of holes with underlying end 16 having more holes than end 14 to facilitate incremental adjustment of belt member 12. Specifically, belt end 14 has two holes 18 While belt end 16 has four or more holes 20 (FIG. 2). The plurality of holes 20 in end 16 enable holes 18 to be aligned with different pairs of holes 20 in order to provide incremental adjustment of belt member 12. This facilitates the fitting of the belt to persons with various waist sizes. The holes 20 in the preferred embodiment have a tear-drop configuration. As will be explained later, this configuration facilitates the insertion of fastening means 16. As shown in FIG. 1, the holes 20 are hidden when fastening means 42 is in place and the belt is secured to the associated apparel.

The belt member 12 is completed by providing a limited length padding portion 22. The padding portion 22 has one part 24 located on belt end 16 and another part 29 located on belt end 14 (FIG. 3). The padding portion 24 on end 16 comprises a lining layer 25, a resilient member 26 and a metal insert 27 located in sequence and adjacent to belt body 28. The padding portion 29 on end 14 comprises a lining 30 and a resilient member 31 which are located in sequence adjacent body 32. The holes 18 pass through lining 30, resilient member 31 and body 32 while holes 20 pass through lining 25, resilient member 26, in-

sert 27 and body 28. The resilient members 26 and 31 are resilient to facilitate the adjustment and locking of fastening means 42 and to accommodate various size fastening means 42. The metal insert 27 adds a certain rigidity to the end 16, thereby limiting movement of the belt ends and facilitating the securing of belt member 12.

The fastening means 42 is preferably a cuff link and, in particular, a pair of cufl links 44 and 46 each having a surface portion 48 with a shank 50 rigidly attached thereto and pivotally mounting at 52 a pivotable member 54. The pivotable member 54 may assume at least two positions. A first position is shown in FIG, 2, wherein pivotable member 54 is substantially parallel to shank 50 and adapted to readily pass through holes 18 and 20 (FIG. 3). The pivotable member 54 may also assume a second position perpendicular to shank 50 as shown by the broken lines on the left side of FIG. 3, wherein the belt end 14 is secured to belt end 16. The final locking of the belt ends 14 and 16 is accomplished by rotating the cuff link (e.g., degrees) (right side of FIGS. 3 and 4). It should be noted that the tear-drop configuration of holes 20 facilitates the placement of cuff links 46 and 48 through the holes and then the movement of pivotable member 54 to a perpendicular position. In addition, the padding portion 22 provides the belt with a thickness that is approximately the same as the uninterrupted length 60 of shank 50. This relatively dimensioning of the fastening means and the belt and the use of the padding portions along with the tear-drop holes enables the cuff link to function as a fastening means in a most effective manner and enables the pivotable member to be adjusted with little inconvenience or discomfort.

It should be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to employ other button-like or similar fastening means that may not be termed a cuff link according to conventional terminology. It is also within the broad scope of the invention to employ less than two and more than one such fastening means. The use of two fastening means is particularly convenient since it is that number 3 that is usually available and that is sufiicient to provide an adequate belt fastener.

It is also within the scope of the invention to employ hole configurations other than the tear-drop shape shown in FIGS. 2-4. For example, in FIG. 5, hole is shown in the form of a key-slot configuration. Similarly, elliptical, circular, diamond, square, rectangular, and parabolic hole shapes may be employed.

In use, the belt member 12 is first placed around the apparel to be secured. The holes 18 are aligned with a pair of the selected holes 20 which provide the desired comfort and fit. With the holes 18 and 20 aligned, one of the cult link members 44 or 46 is placed through the holes with the pivotable member 54 extending therethrough. The pivotable member 54 is then positioned perpendicular to shank 50 and the entire cuff link is rotated to complete the fastening of the belt ends 14 and 16 (FIGS. 3 and 4). This procedure is repeated for the other cutf link, whereupon the belt is properly located and secured to the apparel.

This belt provides maximum flexibility in appearance, adds a new dimension to the usefulness of cuff links, provides an inexpensive manner of tailoring belts to a persons wardrobe and for ditierent events. Thus, it is a relatively inexpensive manner for providing a multiplicity of belts. In addition, the construction hides any unsightly holes and tends to increase the life of the belt.

Although this invention has been disclosed and illus trated with reference to particular applications, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. For example, the padding may take the form of separate and independent washers or similar members.

What is claimed is:

1. A belt for apparel comprising:

a belt member having ends in overlapping relationship with a plurality of holes located in each of said ends in aligned relationship, a cufi link having a shank and apivotal member mounted thereon, said belt member ends having a padding portion of a limited length and having a thickness that matches the thickness of said shank placed in said holes, whereby a belt may be formed by insertion of the shank in said aligned holes.

2. The structure recited in claim 1, wherein one of the ends of said belt member is in an underlying relationship with respect to said other end, said underlying end having more holes therein than said other end,

whereby said belt may be adjusted incrementally.

3. The structure recited in claim 2, wherein said holes in said underlying portion of said belt member are of a tear-drop configuration.

4. A belt for apparel comprising:

an elongated belt member having ends in overlapping relationship, said ends having a padding portion, with at least one hole located in each of said ends in an aligned relationship;

a separate fastening means, including at least one cuff link, located in said holes which are aligned for securing said belt ends in a substantially fixed position with respect to one another, said cufI link having a surface portion, a shank extending from said surface portion and a pivotable member mounted on said shank that is adapted to pass through said aligned holes when in a first position and then pivotable to a second position for securing said ends, whereby a belt is formed, said padding portion having a thickness that at least closely approaches the length of said shank when said pivotable member is in the second position.

5. A belt for apparel comprising:

a belt member having ends in overlapping relationship with a plurality of holes located in each of said ends in aligned relationship, a fastening means having a shank with heads on both ends, said belt member ends having a padding portion of a limited length and having a thickness that matches the thickness of said shank placed in said hole, whereby a belt may be formed by insertion of the fastening means in said aligned holes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 644,903 3/1900 Flannery 2319 2,494,262 1/1950 Pease 2338 2,665,465 1/1954 Albrecht 2497 2,884,675 5/1959 Sternschuss 24-176 X 3,105,974 10/1963 DeGrazia 2338 X 3,109,212 11/1963 Emery 24206 X HERBERT F. ROSS, Primary Examiner. G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner.

US Cl. X.R. 24-31, 78, 206 

